Yalla!! V2 - Setup Guide
Introduction
Getting your bike properly set up is key in extracting as much fun out of it as possible.
Individual setups will always vary due to terrain, riding style, and even conditions. But here you’ll find the shock setup guide for your Yalla!! V2 that will quickly get you on a good base setup.
Experimenting with your setup is highly encouraged. There is a page in your user manual for noting setups and our recommendations are always here. Playing around with your setup can help you discover more about your bike and how to set it up for you.
The table below shows you the spring rate/pressure you’ll need in your shock, as well as a recommended starting point for the damping adjustments. All clicks are measured from fully closed, firmest/slowest/tortoise, and then coming back.
FOX FLOAT X2 MY26 - Setup Guide
Basics
Suspension setup depends firstly on how much you weigh, which includes all your normal riding gear. If you’re guessing your weight, you’re guessing with your suspension setup.
Sag is the amount of suspension travel used when you are on your bike, stationary, and on flat ground.
A heavier rider will need a stronger spring/more pressure than a lighter rider to get the same sag.
A higher spring rate/More pressure for the same rider will result in less sag. A lower spring rate/Less pressure will then result in more sag.
The spring rate/pressure you’ll need also depends on the design of the suspension for that particular bike. The same rider will need different spring rates/pressures on different bikes, even from the same brand. You can’t just transfer the spring rate/pressure from bike A to bike B.
It can be very helpful to have a few different spring rates in your toolbox. This way you can change your sag depending on the gear you wear, the type of terrain you’re riding in, or simply how you feel.
Modern air shocks are multi-chamber and require you to equalise the pressures. When increasing or decreasing the pressure in your shock, make sure to gently compress the suspension to around the sag point, or until you hear a faint hiss, which signifies the chambers equalising. You can inflate or deflate in 50 psi steps, and then equalise. Take care to not allow the shock pump to collide with the shock or frame when equalising and cause damage.
When screwing on a shock pump, some air goes from the shock into filling the pump. This will mean the pressure you read is slightly less than what was actually in there. You can detach and re-attach the pump, noting the difference between the two pressure readings, to quickly find out how much.
When detaching the shock pump, the air loss you hear is from the pump and not the shock. You don’t need to over-inflate your shock to account for any losses.
Damping is how much force the shock generates when it is moving in and out of its travel. The speed, high or low, refers to the speed the suspension is moving, not how fast you are on the trail. Compression damping affects the shock when it’s compressing, with rebound damping affecting it when it extends.
LSR - Low-Speed Rebound
Low-speed rebound affects how the suspension extends in the first half of the travel. This is the portion of travel you will spend more time in, and so be able to feel the easiest.
More rebound damping will mean that the suspension extends slower, while less rebound damping will mean that the suspension extends faster. This is true for both low and high-speed rebound.
Too little low-speed rebound will mean more of the energy stored in the shock is given back to you, making the bike feel more unstable and harder to control, like a bucking bronco. Too much low-speed rebound will mean the bike can’t extend fast enough for the next impact or feature on trail. The bike will feel sluggish and dead, as well as harsh as you get further into rough sections of roots and rocks.
HSR - High-Speed Rebound
High-speed rebound affects the speed the suspension extends in the second half of travel. Bigger and more serious situations on the trail will get the suspension deeper into its travel and the high-speed rebound is going to help to dissipate this energy.
More high-speed rebound will mean the suspension extends slower from deep in travel. Less high-speed rebound will mean the suspension extends faster from deep in travel.
Too little high-speed rebound will mean that the bike can pitch you forward more on big single impacts and make the bike feel more unstable on bigger repeated impacts. Too much high-speed rebound and the bike can’t recover quickly enough from big impacts, meaning you might feel not returned to a good riding position after a big impact, or the suspension feels harsh in multiple bigger impacts.
LSC - Low-Speed Compression
Low-speed compression affects the amount of force generated when the suspension compresses slowly. Generally speaking, this happens when you make an input into the bike, like pedalling, pumping, or braking. It also affects the suspension on smooth jump take-offs and berms.
Counter-intuitively, lots of small roots on a trail will be handled more by low-speed compression. While they might feel like they are making the bike move fast, it’s more high frequency, not high speed.
Too little low-speed compression can make the bike use more travel from your inputs, making the bike feel sluggish and even deeply compressed in high g-force situations. Too much low-speed compression can make the bike feel harsh on lots of repeated little hits and make the bike deflect easily.
HSC - High-Speed Compression
High-speed compression affects the amount of force generated when the suspension is compressed quickly, from bigger, more serious impacts. Generally speaking, this happens when the trail comes at you, like big square-edge roots and rocks, steps, and hard landings.
Too little high-speed compression will mean the suspension uses more of its travel and the bike can feel less controlled in bigger single impacts, and also in repeated hits in very rough sections of trail. Too much high-speed compression will mean the suspension uses less of its travel in these situations and gives you more of the energy, making the bike feel harsh when trying to absorb bigger impacts.